Spring snubber for automobiles



Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,113

G. a. HOOTON I SPRING SNUBBER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed March 17, 1927 11V VENTOR Gordan 5.1700/0/7 A TTORNE YS Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GORDON B. HOOTON, F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SPRING SNUBBER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed March 17, 1927. Serial No. 176,101.

' ward accelerative effect of gravity when the car. springs are expanded without material accelerative or. decelerative force by the snubber;

Objects relating to details of construction and operation will appear from the detailed description to follow. The invention 18 defined and pointed out in the claims. A struc ture which is a preferred embodiment of the i, invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a partof an automobile frame and spring with my 1mproved snubber in place. i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showingthe connection to the vane and the spring arrangement on the left handside, the spring being in central neutral posit on.

Fig. 3 1s a detail view partly in section ture, taken on line 3 -3 of Fig. 2, thevane or piston being in central position. i

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view ofthe engine part, the vane being partially in section and the actuating lever and the front of shown at the right hand position. L

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing way and of course connected to the frame,

. the frame being here shown in conventional form. 4 is the axle fitting containing a looped track or slot 41. 5 is the connecting arm to pin 61 on the end of the arm 5'which travels through the piston case of my improved structhe case being removed, the piston being my improved snubber. 6 is the roller on the in the looped track 41. 7 is the engine case or cylinder. 8 is a vane or oscillating piston in said case. The case or cylinder 7 is secured to the dead-iron by bolts 71, .71. The vane or piston 8 is made integral with the stub shaft 9 disposed in the bearing at the bottom of said case, the same extending through the side of the case to which the tuating arm 5 13 connected by a square or po-- lygonal end 51. A packing 52 is provided at the hub, being retained in place by a beveled ring backed by rubbercushion 54.

A pair of ports 81, 82 through the piston 8- are controlled by plug valves 81 82. These valves are held in place by wire springs 83 secured by screws 84.. These valves are held closed by substantially identical pressure springs 10 l0 on opposite sides of the said piston or vane. These are blade springs positioned in grooves 91 on the under side: of the stub axle 9. These are held against rota tion by screw ll through the bottom of the case engaging the said springs (see Fig. 3)..

Cords 12 12 are connected to the valves from the upper free ends of the springs, which are disposed to close the valves at the opposite ends of the cylinder 7 14', 14 are-stop pins to limit the valves and retain the wire springs 83 in place. The opposite ends of the spring are left free to contact with the ends of the cylinder when the cords are slack. The case of cylinder 7 is filled with heavy oil.

The springs are constructed to press the Valves very lightly when the piston is in a central position, as illustrated in Fig. 3. However, when there has been an up-throw. of the spring, carrying the body upward so as to react through the arm 5 and carry the vane or piston to the right hand position (see i Fig. 4), the valve 81' will be pressed strongly in placeand, when the reverse movement comes, provides a strong pressure against the valve and retards the flow of fluid and quick action of the spring until the spring has reached a neutral position, when the valve willbe opened and the vane allowed to move freely from the central neutral and to the compressed position of the spring at the opposite side, when the action will be reversed and the spring 1Q will exert strong pressure upon the valve 82, retarding the return movement of the spring to neutral. It will thus be observed that the-spring is snubbed whenever it is strongly deflected, and it is snubbed in proportion to the stress of: the deflection because the pressure of the spring will be increased and the valve held more strongly in position when the spring is strongly compressed. Thus it will be seen that the spring is snubbed at the point of its strongest action, and its yielding or spring action or cushion action to insure the comfort of the passengers in the car is conserved. That is to say, in place of the body rebounding on violent up-throw when striking a bump, the spring will be caught at the depressed point and its upward action retarded so that it will in effect smooth out the bump and make it a long easy rise or depression. Likewise, it the reaction is undue and the automobile body has moved up too high it meets with this 7 down resistance on its starting down, so that easy action is secured in both directions. The structure has the eil'ect of si'noothing out bumps and making them gradual inclines, no

-; matter how abruptly they may be struck by the wheels'ot the automobile, either as bumps An auxiliary overflow oil reservoir 15 is provided in the top of the ease, closed by a plug 16. There is an aperture at the bottom to the center high point oi the cylinder controlled by a ball check valve 17. A small. notch is filed in the valve seat to permit a slight escape of oil due to expansion of the oil during variations of temperature. The valve opens to permit the ready return oi the oil. The check holds the oil when the snubber acts. This auxiliary reservoir should be placed at the high point of the cylinder, no matter how it may be located. Its preferred position is as ini'lica'ted.

In Fig. 5 I show a modification in which the springs 10' are curved inwardly at their upper ends and timed to react by pressure upon the valves and hold them yieldingly in position with increasing pressure in the same manner that the tension cords and springs of the main structure do their work. They opcrate, however, as compression springs rather than tension springs, as appears by the dravw ing.

1 have shown my improved structure in its preferred form. I desire to state that it is capable of great variations and that the principle is not merely applicable to hydraulic snubbers but is capable of application to snubliiers generally. I desire to claim the invention broadly. and also broadly as applied. to hydraulic snubbers. and to claim the same in the specific form illustrated which I believe is superior and has advantage over any other, as pointed out in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a spring snubber for vehicles, the combination with the frame or chassis of the vehicle, of a cylinder casing secured thereto,

with a triangular recess therein, an oscillating piston with a bearing shaft disposed in the angle of said recess, with double ports with oppositely opening valves, springs on opposite sides of said vane to hold said valves yieldingly in place, locating means for supporting said springs in operative relation on opposite sides of said vane, the said springs being positioned to be compressed by the 0s cillation of said vane "from side to side where by the pressure is increased on said springs and the valve resistance and hydraulic pressure on the vane consequently increased for control of the vehicle spring, and a rocker arm secured to the said shalt and extended to the axle or running gear whereby the ac tion of the vehicle spring is snubbed, regulated and controlled.

2. In a spring snubber for vehicles, the combination with the frame of the vehicle,

of a cylinder case, a piston therein with oppositely opening valves for the passage of oil theretlirough, spring means disposed to act upon said valves to hold them yieldingly closed with their opposite sides or faces disposed to be conniressed by the motion of the piston from side to side whereby the hydraulic resistance to the piston is controlled and varied by the varying pressure on said valves, and connections from the said piston to the running gear whereby the vehicle spring action is snubbed and controlled.

3. in a spring snubber for vehicles, the combination of a suitable cylinder casing secured to the body of the vehicle, an oscilla ting piston therein, an arm secured to said piston and extended to a lixed part of the running gear of said automobile, with sliding contact therewith, one-way valves on opposite sides of said vane, and springs disposed to compress and force the valves to seat when the vane or piston is displaced from center and hold the same to oll'er maximum 'hydraulic resistance at the point of greatestdellection of the vehicle spring l'roin the neutral to either top or bottom. V

1 In a spring snuhber for vehicles, the combination of a suitable cylinder casing secured to the body of the vehicle, an oscillating piston therein, an arm secured to said piston and extended to a fixed part of the running gear of'said automobile, with sliding contact therewith, valves on opposite sides of said vane, and means to compress and l'i'ii'ce the valves to seat when the vane or piston is displaced from center and hold the same to ofi'er maximum li 'yd'i'aul ie resistance at' the point of greatest deflection of "the vehicle spring troin the neutral to either top'oi bottom.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GORDON B. nooron.

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